


Doctor Doctor

by orgaziam



Series: Life in an Alternate Universe (AU Prompts) [4]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Doctor Liam, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Oneshot, University Student Zayn, coffee shop AU, zouis friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 10:06:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14133840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orgaziam/pseuds/orgaziam
Summary: Zayn doesn't know whether he should thank Louis or kill him.Based loosely off of the prompt, "I fell down and now I'm on the floor and my friend has a bad sense of humor and called out 'is anyone here a doctor?' and now you're trying to save me."





	Doctor Doctor

**Author's Note:**

> I’m lowkey not the biggest fan of how I did this, but I figured I’d rather share it than leave it in my drafts. I hope you guys enjoy reading it.

“Louis,” Zayn hisses, nudging his arm against his best friend’s side to grab his attention. Louis hums quietly, eyes still squinting at the phone in his hand, before breaking out into a full bodied laugh, the corners of his lips pushing his cheeks upward until his blue eyes have almost disappeared.

The two of them have been waiting at their usual coffee shop just off of campus, celebrating the end of their stressful week full of midterm exams. It’s rush hour, meaning the normally quiet and calm coffee shop is bustling with people grabbing their midday refreshments. The tables are full, so Zayn and Louis have chosen to stand near the far corner away from the entrance but closer to where the barista is making their drinks while they wait. Zayn settles for subtle people watching while Louis completely disregards him, too preoccupied with whatever is on his phone.

“Louis,” he tries again, this time nudging the boy harder, tipping him slightly to successfully grab his attention. The boy readjusts himself and huffs at Zayn, who narrows his eyes into a glare.

“What?” Louis hisses back, his voice almost getting lost in the bustle of the coffee shop patrons.

Zayn narrows his eyes and extends his neck, nudging his head forward and toward the cash register. He watches the realization dawn on Louis’ face as he shifts his gaze in the direction Zayn had indicated, eyes raking over a slim figure hunched over in laughter as they talk to the cashier, holding up the long line of customers behind him. His eyes almost disappear behind the force of his laughter, one hand tugging softly at the pile of brown hair over his head, the other curled around a five dollar bill as he tucks it swiftly into the tip jar on the counter. He’s wearing what appears to be scrubs underneath a thin white coat, a nametag over his chest that’s too far for Louis to see.

Louis raises an eyebrow, turning back to Zayn as if to say, “So what?”

Zayn’s eyes narrow even further, fingers tugging nervously at the collar of his shirt, before he turns away from Louis as if to end their short-lived conversation. Louis tsks, nudging his arm into Zayn’s side harshly, just as Zayn had done to him earlier. Zayn hisses loudly in pain, grabbing the attention of a few strangers around them who are also waiting for their drinks. 

“Damn it, Loueh. That hurt,” he mutters, hand instinctively coming down to rub over the side that Louis hit.

Louis glares at him again, until Zayn sighs and mutters, “He’s cute. ‘S all.”

Louis can’t help but raise his eyebrows again in shock, because this is knew. Zayn rarely vocally expresses his interest in people, let alone to Louis, since telling Louis means also telling Harry, his extended family, their entire university campus population, and everyone else in a 3,000 mile radius.

He looks around the coffee shop to see where the man has gone, finding him huddled into the opposite side of the room and talking animatedly to a blonde man dressed similarly to him. The blonde is laughing so loudly Louis can hear him over the dim music of the shop and the loud chatter. Doctors, he thinks.

He gets an idea.

He looks around the shop one last time, making sure no one is looking directly at he and Zayn, before he nudges the raven-haired boy next to him, this time with much less pressure. 

“Hey, Zayn?” he says. Said boy looks at him curiously, before he continues.

“Just know that, what I’m about to do, I’m doing because I love you. Please don’t hate me.”

Zayn’s brow furrows in confusion but he doesn’t have much time to think before there’s a sudden, hard pressure against the back of his knee, toppling him over in the middle of a group of people, a loud yelp escaping his lips as he fails to catch himself before he hits the hardwood floors of the coffeeshop.

“Quick! Someone help!” He hears Louis yell, “Is anyone a doctor?”

And Zayn groans, pressing his cheek into the floor, praying that the ground will just magically open up and swallow him whole, escaping him from the embarrassment of having just fell flat on his face in front of a huge crowd of people. There’s noises above him, some people gasping as they realize he’s fallen, others extending their hands as a way to help him up, but he can’t be bothered to reach forward and take them up on it, his hand instead reaching around to grip onto his injured leg.

“I am!” he hears someone yell, and God-no. No. No. _Please save me from this embarrassment,_ he thinks. He feels a hand at the bottom of his spine and another in his hair, cupping the back of his head and successfully turning him onto his front.

He’s met immediately with eyes the color of chocolate, flickering as they run over his face. It’s the same man that he pointed out to Louis just minutes ago while he was at the cash register, except now he’s standing right in front of him, firm hands supporting Zayn’s weight as he pulls him into a sitting position. Zayn feels his face flush even more in embarrassment as he takes in the man before him, who looks even more attractive up close. The man’s thick brows are furrowed in concentration as he assesses Zayn’s face, his critical stare softening into something more sympathetic and understanding as they make eye contact. Zayn’s breath hitches, suddenly aware that the man is still holding him.

“Hi,” he says, voice slightly more high pitched than he would like. He clears his throat in embarrassment, but the man doesn’t seem to notice.

“Hi,” the man replies, eyes twinkling slightly as he seems to be biting back a smile. “I heard you needed a doctor?”

Zayn huffs, glaring up at Louis, who is watching the interaction with a glint of mischief in his eyes, a proud smirk on his lips. “I don’t need a doctor, I just need a new best friend.”

The man looks at him curiously, before following his gaze to Louis, who immediately schools his teasing face into a more concerned face. He puts on a show, biting his lip nervously as he furrows his brows downward in concern, but the glint of mischief remains in his eyes. Seemingly confused, the man turns back to Zayn, who attempts to get up but groans as he puts too much weight on his injured leg. The man’s eyes immediately narrow, all playfulness suddenly gone, muttering a “don’t move.”

And Zayn was definitely not planning on moving any time soon, especially not with the handsome man in front of him still holding him in place by his shoulder.

The man observes Zayn’s injured leg, free hand coming down to tilt it from one side to the other, pressing lightly to check for swelling or tenderness, watching Zayn’s face as he hisses at even the slightest touch to his leg. His face contorts slightly in concern, before he says, “Well, I definitely don’t think it’s broken, which is good, but I do think it might be sprained. How did you hurt it to begin with?”

He eyes Zayn as he asks the question, but it’s Louis who interjects before he can say anything, “Zaynie here just fell. Think he got too excited about the two for one special they’re having.”

Liam raises an eyebrow at him curiously, but his eyes glint with amusement. “It is a pretty good special,” he admits, eyeing Zayn once again. There’s an intenseness in his gaze that Zayn can’t name, but it has him flushing under the attention. His hand is still resting on Zayn’s shin, now moving up to rest on his thigh, fingers dancing briefly before he lifts the same hand up to Zayn’s face. 

“I’m Liam,” he says, and Zayn is too occupied missing the feel of the man’s- _Liam’s_ -hand on his leg, before he reaches out his own hand to shake the extended one the other man offers him.

He opens his mouth to reply with his own name, but before he can, the barista calls out a loud, “Zayn!” that grabs his attention over the loudness of the coffeeshop, the noise not having died back down after the initial shock that followed the scene Louis caused. He winces slightly as he moves to get up on instinct, but Liam’s hand is back on his shoulder, gripping him firmly to keep him in place. He flushes at being manhandled, and he’s sure that his face is bright red from the embarrassment he feels.

“Is that you?” Liam asks, and Zayn nods, breathing heavily as he tries to distract himself from the pain shooting up his leg.

“I’ll get that,” Louis says, leaning down to briefly pat Zayn’s back in encouragement, before rushing off to grab the hot chocolate Zayn had ordered. Zayn huffs, before turning his attention back to Liam.

“‘M sorry,” he mutters, hand coming up to brush his hair out of his face, releasing a long exhale, before he says, “‘M Zayn,” still feeling a need to say the words himself.

Liam smiles and repeats the name, lips rounding to form the foreign sounding name, and Zayn decides he’s never heard anything better than hearing this man say his name.

“Leeyum,” Zayn says himself, whispering the words quietly as if it were a secret for only the two of them amongst the loud coffeeshop around them. Liam’s eyes crinkle, his lips curling into a small smile that makes Zayn feel almost light headed. They’re both still on the ground, Zayn with his legs outstretched in front of him and Liam huddled closely to his side facing him.

“I should probably get up,” he says suddenly, and Liam nods.

“I’ll help you,” he says, and before Zayn can argue, he’s placing his hands under Zayn’s arms and hauling him up. Zayn blinks at the sudden movement, face flushing at the gentleness with which Liam handles him, despite being strong enough to fully support Zayn’s weight. Once he’s finally standing, Zayn’s careful to not place any weight on his injured leg, instead leaning into Liam’s side as the man curls a strong arm around his waist to support him.

Neither of them are sure what to do next, until he hears the barista call out Liam’s name for his order. Liam smiles at him sheepishly, silently communicating that he needs to get his drink but isn’t sure what to do with Zayn. Zayn is ready to tell him he’ll just call Louis over to help, since the boy caused this whole mess to begin with, but before can he feels the ground slip away from his feet. He winces, but instead of coming into contact with the floor again like he expected, he feels a pair of arms going around his waist and knees and a pressure in his side. He opens his eyes to find Liam now carrying him bridal style, his eyebrows furrowed determinedly as he concentrates on not dropping him.

“Liam, you don’t have to carry me!” Zayn says, shocked by the new position, but Liam just laughs and ignores his complaints. He doesn’t think he’s ever felt more embarrassed in his life.

Realizing that Liam won’t be putting him down anytime soon, Zayn’s own arms instinctively come out to hook around Liam’s shoulders, gripping tightly in fear of being dropped as Liam moves over towards the counter where his drink is waiting, weaving through the groups of patrons huddled around the shop.

He looks at Zayn sheepishly, tilting his chin towards the cup, “Could you?”

It dawns on Zayn that he’s asking him to grab the cup, since both of his own arms are occupied carrying Zayn. He extends his other arm out to grab the cup, briefly eyeing the words “hot chocolate” scribbled on the cup and realizing they got the same order, before curling back into the warmth of Liam’s chest and-no, he is not enjoying this. Not at all.

He doesn’t know whether to thank Louis or strangle him. He supposes that’s how their friendship has always been.

As if summoned, the blue eyed boy appears out of nowhere, smirking as he puts on a show of looking him and Liam up and down in their current position. “Comfortable?” he asks, raising his eyebrow teasingly.

Zayn narrows his eyes into a glare, but Liam just smiles in response. He shifts Zayn slightly in his arms, and Zayn feels a wave of guilt wash over him as he realizes Liam is probably far from comfortable right now for having to hold Zayn this long.

“You can put me down, now, Liam. It’s okay, Louis can help me,” he says, reluctantly trying to adjust himself in Liam’s arms so the man can put him down.

Liam frowns, eyeing him almost suspiciously, “Are you sure?”

Zayn bites his lip to force himself to not roll his eyes, but rather nods. “Yes, Liam. _Louis here_ can help carry me back to our apartment, since he thought it would be funny to be push me in the first place,” he says, glaring at Louis who just smirks proudly.

Liam looks back and forth at the two of them curiously, before finally, and albeit a little reluctantly, putting Zayn down, carefully supporting him until he’s able to stand up comfortably on his own. Zayn hands Liam’s drink over to Louis to prevent it from spilling while he and Liam adjust.

“Are you sure I can trust you with him?” Liam asks. He sounds serious but there’s a slight glint in his eyes. “After all, he did push you.”

Zayn rolls his eyes and ruffled Louis’ hair affectionately, “Honestly? You probably shouldn’t.”

“Hey,” Louis groans, knocking Zayn’s hand away from his hair, who retaliates by hitting Louis’ shoulder until the two are childishly giggling and hitting each other. Liam’s hand comes to rest on the small of Zayn’s back, keeping him from falling over when Louis knocks his shoulder roughly into Zayn’s.

The two of them stop when Liam clears his throat, raising an eyebrow at their behavior. “Right,” he says, and Zayn shrugs sheepishly.

“I promise we act our age sometimes,” he says.

Liam laughs softly, and Louis eyes the two of them for a moment, before he mutters, “Right. Well, we should get going.”

Liam’s posture straightens out once again, eyes immediately coming up to meet Zayn’s who nods reluctantly in agreement with Louis. It’s starting to get late and he has plans to see his family for supper now that his midterms are over, and he’s sure Liam probably has important business to get back to. They’ve kept him busy long enough.

“Yeah, my lunch break ends in a few, I should probably get back to my colleague,” Liam says, eyes roaming briefly around the coffeeshop before settling on the blonde man from earlier now sitting with a young brunette at a booth. He shakes his head fondly before he turns back to Zayn, who bites his lip nervously, barely registering the arm Louis nudges against his shoulder in encouragement. He isn’t sure what to say, whether or not he’ll ever get to see Liam again, whether or not the other man will even want to see Zayn again.

“It was nice meeting you, Liam,” he settles on saying, causing Louis to roll his eyes next to him. “Thank you for helping me, it was really nice of you.”

“It was nice meeting you, too, Zayn.” Liam smiles earnestly, placing his hand on Zayn’s shoulder, “And anytime, honestly. It’s kinda my job.” He gestures at the hospital uniform he’s wearing, shrugging sheepishly.

“Well, it was nice to meet you, too, Mister Doctor, but we should get going,” Louis interjects, practically shoving one of the cups of hot chocolates into Liam’s hand and handing Zayn the other one, before hooking his arm around Zayn’s in an attempt to lead him away from Liam. Zayn sighs and rolls his eyes at his antics, waving politely at Liam who watches the interaction with an amused glint in his eye.

“See ya, Leeyum,” he says, barely audible as the noise of the coffeeshop once again mutes his words, but he’s so sure he hears a soft “See ya, Zayn,” as Louis is pulling him out of the coffee shop and out into the warm, crisp spring weather.

 

.

 

It’s not until he’s sitting on the couch in the living room, his sprained leg raised on the coffee table in front of him as he sips on the leftover hot chocolate from earlier, that he realizes the cup he’s holding reads “Liam” instead of his own name. Louis must have accidentally switched the cups when he was holding them at the same time back at the coffee shop.

He guesses it doesn’t matter since he and Liam both ordered the same drink, but he can’t help but feel a slight guilt at having the other man’s drink and an unexplainable emptiness at the thought that that may have been his last time encounter with Liam, that he was too shy to ask for the guy’s number or to offer him a drink for his generosity.

He groans as he thinks back to that morning’s events for the hundredth time that day, deciding he will, in fact, one day, kill Louis for all of the embarrassment the boy has caused him over the years. He rests his cheek on the armrest of the couch, nestling the coffee cup to his chest as he curls in on himself.

He rests his eyes for a moment before he hears his phone buzz on the couch beside him. He reaches for it blindly, fingers curling around the device and lifting it to his face. He unlocks it, opening the message from an unknown number, half expecting it to be spam until his eyes skim over the words, his breath hitching in shock.

 

_Heyyyyy, it’s me Liam! I think your friend wrote your number on the coffee cup haha  
Btw you have great taste in beverages haha x_

 

Zayn can’t help but smile, eyeing the “x” at the end of the message and feeling his heartbeat speed up in his chest as his fingers immediately type away a reply.

 

And, okay, maybe Louis isn’t so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Tbh I need a friend like Louis.
> 
> As always, all kudos and comments are appreciated! I have so much free time for the next few days, so if you have any AU prompts you'd like me to do, please leave them below and I will be more than happy to do them!


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